St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-08-27

had sent down its roots around the palate
and the tongue, and on down until they
were interlinked with the vitals of body,
mind and soul but he has not taken any
stimulants for two years. What did
that? Not temperance societies. Not
laws. Not moral suasion.
Conversion did it. "Why," said one
upon whom the great change had come,
"sir, I feel just as though l were some
body else."
There is sea captain who swore all
the way from New York to Havana, and
from Havana to San Francisco, and when
he was in port he was worse than when
he was on the sea. What power was 1t
that washed his tongue clean OF protanl-
ties, and made him psalm singer? Con-
version by the Holy Spirit. There are
thousands of people in this house to-
night who are no more what they once
were than a water-lily is nightshade, or
morning lark is a vulture, or day is
night.
Now, if should demand that all those
people in this house who have telt the
converting power of religion should rise,
so far from being ashamed, they would
spring to their feet with more alacrlty
than they ever sprang to the dance, the
tears mingling with their exhilaratlon as
they cried: 1--WE are witnesses r And II
they tried to sing the old Gospel hymn,
they Would break down with emotion by
the time they got to the second line:
Ashamed of Jesus, that dear friend
On whom my hopes of Heaven dependl
No! When l blush, be this my shame:
= 10
Again, remark 1--WE are witnesses" OF
the Gospels power to comfort. -,
When a man has trouble the world
comes in and says: "Now get your
mind off this; go out and breathe the
fresh air; plunge deeper into business y
What poor advice! Get your mind of
of It'll! When everything is upturned
with the bereavement, and everything
reminds you of what you have lost. Get
your mind off of it. They might as well
advise you to stop thinking. You can
not stop thinking, and you cannot stop
thinking in that direction. Take walk
in the fresh air. Why, along that very
street, or that very road, she once &C
companied you. Out of that grass-plot
she plucked flowers, or into that show
window she looked, fascinated, saying
Come see the pictures" Go deeper
into business! Why, she was associated
with all your business ambition, and
since she has gone you have no ambition
left.
Oh, this is a clumsy world when il
tries to comfort a broken heart! can
build a Corliss engine, can paint a
Raphaers Madonna" can play a
Beethoven's symphony" as easily as
this world can comfort a broken
heart. And yet you have been com
forted. How was it done? Did Christ
come to you and say: Get your mind OH
this; go out and breathe the fresh air
plunge deeper into business? No
There was minute when He came tc
you-perhaps in the watches of the
night, perhaps in your place OF business
perhaps along the street-and lie
breathed something into your soul thai
gave peace, rest, infinite quiet, so thai
you could take out the photograph OF
the departed one and look into the eyes
and the face of the dear one, and say
ct is all right; she is better off; woulC
not call her back Lord, thank Thee
that Thou hast comforted my poor heart
There are Christian parents here wht
are willing to testify to the power of thi:
Gospel to comfort. Your son had just
graduated from school or college and was
going into business, and the Lord took
him. Or your daughter had just grad
uated from the young ladies' seminary
and you thought she was going to be
useful woman and of long life: but the
Lord took her, and you were tempted tt
say: "All this culture of twenty year:
for nothingr' Or the little child came
home from school with the hot fevel
that stopped not for the agonized prayer
or for the skillful physician, and the
little child was taken. Or the babe wa:
lifted out of your arms by some quick
epidemic, and you stood wondering why
God ever gave you that child at all, If sc
soon He was to take it away. And ye
you are not repining, you are not fretful
you are not fighting against God.
What has enabled you to stand all the
trial? "Oh," you say, II took the medi
cine that God gave my sick SOUL In my
distress l threw myself at the feet of {
sympathizing God; and when was toe
weak to pray, or to look up, He breathet
into me peace that think must be th'
foretaste of that Heaven where there ii
neither a tear, nor a farewell, nor I
grave" Come, all we who have beer
out to the grave to weep there-come
all We comforted souls, get up off you
knees. Is there no power in this Gospe
to soothe the heart? Is there no powe
in this religion to quiet the worst par
oxysm of grief2 There comes up al
answer from comforted widowhood, ant
orphanage, and childlessness, saying
AYE, aye, we are witnesses y
Again, remark that we are witnesse
of the fact that religion has power t.
give composure in the last moment.
shall never forget the first time | con
fronted death We went across the corn
fields in the country. was led by my
fathers hand and we came to the farm
house where the bereavement had come
and we saw the crowd of wagons ant
carriages but there was one carrIag
that especially attracted my boylsh at
tention, and it had black plumes. l said
Whats that? what's that? Why thos
black tassels al the top?" and after1t wa
explained to me, was lifted up TO lool
upon the bright face of an aged Christian
woman, who three days before had de
parted in triumph The whole scene mad
an impression never forgot.
In our sermons and in our lay exhorta
tions we are very apt, when we want t.
bring illustrations of dying triumph, t
60 back TO some distinguished personag'
Ito John Knox or Harriet Newell